Part of the Visual Timeline series
Founding of a Nation (1492-1820)
Pre-1492: Indigenous civilizations, including the Mississippian culture, Puebloans, and Iroquois Confederacy, thrive across North America with complex societies, agriculture, and trade networks.
1492: Christopher Columbus lands in the Caribbean, initiating European exploration and colonization. Not first European in Americas though (see Visual Timeline of Vikings)
1607: Jamestown, Virginia, becomes the first permanent English settlement in North America.
1620: Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock, establishing one of the first successful colonies in New England.
1664: The Dutch colony of New Amsterdam is seized by the British and renamed New York.
1692: Salem Witch Trials highlight religious extremism and societal tensions in colonial America.
1754–1763: French and Indian War ends with British victory, but massive war debt leads to increased taxation of American colonies.
1773: Boston Tea Party protests British taxation, escalating tensions between Britain and the colonies.
1776: Declaration of Independence signed on July 4; the American Revolution begins.
1781: Battle of Yorktown leads to British defeat in the Revolutionary War.
1783: Treaty of Paris officially recognizes the United States as an independent nation.
1787: U.S. Constitution drafted in Philadelphia, establishing the framework of American government.
1789: George Washington inaugurated as the first U.S. president.
1791: Bill of Rights ratified, guaranteeing individual freedoms.
1803: Louisiana Purchase doubles U.S. territory, acquired from France for $15 million.
1812–1815: War of 1812 between the U.S. and Britain solidifies American sovereignty.
1819: Florida ceded to the U.S. by Spain through the Adams-Onís Treaty.
1820: Missouri Compromise balances slave and free states, temporarily easing sectional tensions.
Expansion and Industrialisation (1820-1945)
1830: Indian Removal Act leads to the Trail of Tears, forcing Native American displacement.
1836: Texas declares independence from Mexico, later joining the U.S. in 1845.
1848: Gold Rush begins in California, leading to rapid migration and economic growth.
1860: Abraham Lincoln elected president, prompting the Southern states to secede.
1861–1865: American Civil War between the Union and the Confederacy.
1863: Emancipation Proclamation issued, declaring all enslaved people in Confederate states free.
1865: Civil War ends; 13th Amendment abolishes slavery in the U.S.
1869: First Transcontinental Railroad completed, connecting the East and West coasts.
1870s–1890s: Gilded Age boom, characterized by rapid industrial growth, monopolies (Carnegie, Rockefeller), and income inequality.
1886: Statue of Liberty dedicated, symbolizing immigration and freedom.
1890: Wounded Knee Massacre, marking the last major conflict between Native Americans and U.S. forces.
1896: Plessy v. Ferguson legalizes segregation, ushering in the Jim Crow era.
1903: Wright brothers’ first flight, marking the birth of aviation.
1908: Ford Model T introduced, revolutionizing transportation with mass production.
1913: Federal Reserve System established, regulating banking and monetary policy. Panama Canal constructed.
1917: U.S. enters World War I, tipping the balance for the Allies.
1920: Women’s suffrage granted with the 19th Amendment.
1929: Stock Market Crash triggers the Great Depression, leading to mass unemployment.
1933: New Deal programs launched by Franklin D. Roosevelt to revive the economy.
1941: Attack on Pearl Harbor, leading to U.S. entry into World War II.
1945: World War II ends; U.S. emerges as a global superpower; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Pax Americana (1945-present)
1947: Marshall Plan aids European recovery, strengthening U.S. global influence.
1954: Brown v. Board of Education ruling ends segregation in public schools.
1963: March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivers “I Have a Dream” speech.
1964: Civil Rights Act signed, outlawing racial discrimination.
1969: Apollo 11 lands on the moon, making the U.S. the first nation to achieve a lunar landing.
1971: NASDAQ stock exchange founded, revolutionizing financial markets.
1974: Nixon resigns
1981: First space shuttle launch (Columbia), advancing space exploration.
1989: Berlin Wall falls, signaling the collapse of the Soviet Union.
1991: Cold War officially ends as the Soviet Union dissolves.
1994: Amazon founded, kickstarting the e-commerce revolution.
2001: 9/11 attacks lead to the War on Terror and the Patriot Act.
2008: Global Financial Crisis, the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.
2008: Barack Obama elected, becoming the first African American U.S. president.
2010: iPad launched, accelerating the mobile computing era.
2015: Legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide.
2020: COVID-19 pandemic disrupts global economy and everyday life.
2023: AI boom reshapes industries, with the U.S. leading in artificial intelligence development.
See also: